Devin Booker didn’t have his shooting touch (5-of-14 FG) despite his team-high 17 points in the Phoenix Suns’ 109-99 loss to the Orlando Magic on Monday.
The Suns (9-6) dropped their fourth straight game, all without Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, both out with left calf strains. They didn’t have their starting big Jusuf Nurkic (ankle) against the Magic, either.
Franz Wagner led the Magic (9-6) with 32 points and eight assists, plus grabbed five rebounds in their sixth straight victory. The Magic’s big Goga Bitadze dominated the paint as he produced 17 points (7-of-8 FG) and 10 boards.
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The Suns were in a double-digit deficit since there were two minutes left in the first half, but went on an 8-0 run to cut the lead to seven for a brief rally at 3:36 left to play. But Wagner kept scoring in the closing minutes to seal the win. The Suns shot just 29.3% from deep, the second time in the past three games hitting under 30%.
Grayson Allen scored 17 off the bench while Tyus Jones added 16 for Phoenix.
The Suns play the second of their six-game homestand against the New York Knicks (8-6) on Wednesday at 8 p.m.
Booker, Suns still in hole through 3rd quarter
The short-handed Suns are still without rhythm, down 84-68 at the end of the third.
The Suns shot just 7-of-19 in the period (23-of-62 overall, 8-of-34 from 3), and had their biggest deficit, 19, from a 3-pointer from Jalen Suggs (12 points) in the third quarter’s opening minute.
Unlike Devin Booker’s 44-point outing in their loss at Minnesota on Sunday, he’s scored 12 points on just 3-of-12 shooting.
Wagner, Bitadze increase Magic’s lead in 2nd quarter
Franz Wagner and Orlando’s big Goga Bitadze have 15 points each, leading their team to a 64-48 advantage at halftime.
The Magic ended the second quarter on a 10-2 run led by Wagner and Bitadze, who are on fire shooting 6-of-9 and a perfect 6-of-6, respectively. Wagner’s stepback 3, his third from deep, extended the Magic’s biggest lead to 16 in the closing seconds.
Devin Booker (3-of-9) put up six of his 10 points in the second quarter. He and Tyus Jones (13 points, 3 assists) are the Suns’ leading scorers. Suns’ rookie Oso Ighodaro has six points, including two dunks, and a team-high six rebounds in his first start this season.
Jones hot despite Suns’ slow start in 1st quarter
Phoenix got off to a sluggish start, down 26-22 to close the opening quarter.
But the Suns’ starting point guard Tyus Jones scored all of his 11 points (4-of-7 FG) within the Suns’ first 15, including three treys. He’s made four of their seven shots out of 21 attempts.
The Magic have shot 55% overall, but 1-of-8 from deep, and their top scorers are Goga Bitadze and Jalen Suggs with seven each.
The Magic had their biggest advantage when they began the game with a 7-0 lead.
Suns’ rookie Ighodaro makes starting debut
Phoenix’s rookie big and hometown native Oso Ighodaro is starting for the first time this season, replacing Durant (calf). Ighodaro will open the game with Tyus Jones, Devin Booker, Ighodaro’s fellow rookie Ryan Dunn replacing Beal, and Mason Plumlee in the middle.
The Orlando Magic are starting Jalen Suggs, veteran two-guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Tristan da Silva, Wagner and center Goga Bitadze on Monday.
Suns’ starting big Nurkic out
In addition to Durant and Beal, the Suns’ starting big Jusuf Nurkic and Collin Gillespie (right ankle) are out for Phoenix. The Magic’s Wendell Carter Jr. (foot) is out.